Star Wars

Vol. 1, Skywalker Strikes

"Luke Skywalker and the ragtag rebels opposing the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory so far - the destruction of the massive Death Star. But the Empire's not toppled yet! Join Luke, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they fight for freedom against Darth Vader and his evil master, the Emperor! But when a Rebel assault goes wrong, Han and Leia must think fast to make their escape - while Luke comes face-to-face with Darth Vader! In the explosive aftermath, a humbled Luke returns to Tatooine to learn more about his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Meanwhile, Leia and Han undertake a vital - and dangerous - secret mission. But can they succeed without Luke?" --

Comment

OH MAN. This was really good! First off, this is set between A New Hope and Empire, which is awesome. The art is fantastic; it feels exciting and action packed, and looks like the Star Wars I know and love. It also SOUNDS like the Star Wars I know and love- the dialogue is amazing!! That was my favorite part. Each character’s personality is captured to a T- Han and Leia have the best banter. It feels seamless while we’re still getting an “unknown” story. And the Vader-Tattooine issue! Some truly chilling panels. So. Good. The volume ends on a super surprising note so I can’t wait to read Volume 2! This is the kind of Star Wars comic I was looking for

Picking up in the wake of A New Hope, this first collection of a new series has the familiar figures of the original Star Wars trilogy taking on the Empire. The first volume parallels to the Darth Vader series, and the art serves the story well. The writer gets the characterization right, particularly the banter between Han and Leia.

That was a lot of fun and just as good as watching a movie. It's an indeterminate time since the original Star Wars and the Empire is desperate to figure out who blew up the Death Star. Han seems to want to leave and Leia seems happy to let but, you know, resources are tight and the Rebellion needs to keep its parts for a new base instead of giving Han some parts to get out.

So really, it's business as usual and it's great. The three of them are their awesome selves and they are out getting things done. What I really do like is how uncertain Luke is. You don't get to see how Luke changes from film one to film two and this looks like to be giving us a look into how he gets more comfortable with this new set of skills that he has no real idea how to use.

I also love Vader and Boba Fett in this. Also the appearance of a certain original character and I can't wait to see what comes next with them.

This book has a solid story and consistently good art (both more consistent than its cousin the Darth Vader volume 1 book). What it doesn't do as well as the Vader book is characterization. I suppose that is the trade off for an action packed "fun" ride. It also rates high for me on the 'cool' factor. There are some great iconic scenes that continue the story from where A New Hope leaves off. Cover: 4/5; Art: 4/5; Story 4/5, Characterization: 3/5; Cool Factor: 5/5. Total: 8/10